Picking up after the neighbor's dog
By carpenter5
@carpenter5 (6782)
United States
March 10, 2009 6:05pm CST
We live in an apartment complex where the rules are that you must pick up after your pet.
I go to a lot of trouble to go and purchase Doggie bags and I have the little scooper. The problem is that we have a few neighbors that believe that doggy poopoo should be left to bio degrade. Well, this would be fine with me, (other than that rules in the lease thing) if they would put their dog on the leash (which is also a rule) and take them way down by the fence line.
But these neighbors have decided to just let their dogs run where ever they want and do their business wherever they choose. So that when I walk my doggy, I have to be careful where I step. Not to mention that it stinks as the weather gets warmer.
Well, up until now, I've been picking up for others as I pick up mine. Today, the maintence worker in the apartment complex asked me not to do that. He said it was not my responsibility and if I continued, they couldn't fine the ones who were leaving it there in the first place.
What do you think? Should I continue to pick it up to keep from stepping in it, or just leave it on the ground and quit inviting people to my house?
4 people like this
6 responses
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
14 Mar 09
No don't keep picking it up. It sounds as if maintanence is watching and gathering evidence. By cleaning up after them, you are enabling them to continue. It is a health issue as well as an annoyance. You pay your rent and I would not just keep quiet about it either. Keep your eyes open to help find who the offenders are and help maintanace put an end to it. They are very lucky to be able to have pets in an apartment complex. Many places don't allow it for this reason. Too many people are just lazy and disgusting when it comes to being respectful to the others around them. They are the same ones that would let their kids run wild and throw trash all over etc. You want to help make sure the guilty ones are reprimanded so everyone doesn't have to pay the price of a few.
2 people like this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
14 Mar 09
I can see where that might be true when you put it like that. I was just thinking about the immediate results of my inviting people to come see me adn them having to walk down the sidewalk and there eing large piles of dog poo on either side of them.
1 person likes this
@taloninja (54)
• United States
11 Mar 09
I agree with one day soon....if they ened the piles as proof to fine theese folks...and a eprsona actually saw you doing a god deed and handeling your own pup's doo doo, then you're in the clear....i say grin and ebarit awhile...maybe file a complaint with the building manager if you're tred of playign clean-up team too.
2 people like this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
13 Mar 09
Hagve to be careful about complaining. One of the young college guys that lives with his sister next door to us, complained about the people that lived behind him and their dog barking all hours of the day and night. They retaliated and for two weeks they called every morning and told the office that they were running their dishwasher, washer and dryer at 2 in the morning!
People are just horrible sometimes.
1 person likes this
@eaforeman6 (8979)
• United States
14 Mar 09
It is not fun to step in it but also, I would be concerned that somone will think it is your pets doing it. Neighbors who dont see what goes on, may not know! We have a big problem with people who live way on the otherside, ccoming over here and letting their dogs leave messes. They do this so they can get out of cleaning them up.@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
20 Nov 10
That is just completely tacky. I can feel your pain. My fellow apartment complex residents are still leaving their puppy poo in the grass. But now, we have another problem. An elderly couple who live in the subdivision on the next street over have begun walking their dogs through the complex each evening. Guess what? They don't pick up after their pets! Since they don't live in the apartments, there is really nothing that management can do about it.
@AmbiePam (95786)
• United States
12 Mar 09
Girl, I've been there. It's disgusting. We are charged 25 dollars each time we don't pick up our dog's poo, but the thing is, someone from the office has to catch the person. And a lot of my neighbors wait until after hours to let their dogs go "fertilize" the ground. I would agree, don't pick up after the other people's dogs. One day they'll get caught. I too watch where I'm stepping. It's gross.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (95786)
• United States
13 Mar 09
Our apartments are Section 8. I think they know if they charge us more than 25 dollars, we won't be able to pay! lol
That is what bothered me most. In the summer it is a real problem. Because in the winter the "stuff" will harden, and if you step on it the next day, it won't be as bad as it is in the summer time.
1 person likes this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
14 Mar 09
That's true. It's much easier to pick up when it's frozen! LOL.
Baby got out the front door this afternoon. Lauren had come in from school, and was carrying all of her stuff into the house. Baby was soo excited to see her (She hadn't been home since the weekend of Feb 6th) that she was just dancing in circles. When Lauren started out to her car to get the last of her stuff, Baby decided she was going with her. I tried to catch her, but she was too fast.
Lauren decided not to go to the car she took Baby down and let her run around the grass for a few minutes, then came back upstairs with the dog following at her heels. There was no way we could catch her once she got outside. She's too fast. I'm just glad she didn't decide to go to the water.
The dog in the apartment right under us got off his leash the other day and went under the fence and out to the water hazard on the golf course! He was chasing the ducks and just having a wonderful time, and Poor Sandy had no way of going to get him. It was quite hysterical!
2 people like this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
13 Mar 09
OOO...you guys get off cheap! Here it's $50!
It's not so bad now, but I really worry about the smell once summer gets here if people don't begin to do a better job of cleaning up.
1 person likes this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
31 Jul 12
It's been some time since you posted I hope the end result was that they were caught and fined. I have a dog but he is on our own property and he usually is only allowed to poo in one area so I don't mind other than it's too close to the house so it doe have to get disposed of. If things haven't resolved at your complex I would think maybe taking the time to walk your dog more frequently elsewhere like a doggy park. Plus your dog may enjoy a change of scenery.
@onedaysoon (651)
• United States
11 Mar 09
If they know who is doing it and are planning on fining them, then you might want to just leave it and let then fine or warn the people so they will get the idea and maybe actually start picking up their own dogs mess.
It might be worth tip toeing around the poop for a few days if it will get the people to clean it up themselves.
I understand them thinking it should biodegrade, but the amount of dogs with the time it takes to biodegrade does not add up. If they continue to do that, without anyone picking it up they would end up stepping all over it themselves, cause it would keep adding up before it is able to biodegrades.
If you don't mind picking up after other peoples dogs, or maybe are really good friends with the people, then you might just might want to keep doing it.
1 person likes this
@carpenter5 (6782)
• United States
13 Mar 09
I really don't know for sure who isn't picking up after their pets. I only know two other couples in our building. One of them picks up after his dog, and the other couple has a cat!
I have my ideas about who it is that is just turning their dogs loose, but I certainly can't prove it, because I haven't actually seen them do it.
